Sambisa Forest; Stil a Major challenge for Nigerian Army??
By Abdulkareem Haruna Umar
All through 2013, the Nigeria military have laid claims to dislodging several camps of the Boko Haram terrorists in Marte, Kirenowa, Gwoza, Bama, Alagarno amongst others, Sambisa forest, which according to military sources is the biggest enclave of the terrorists, still pose a serious challenge to the soldiers.
Some relatively good news was heard in the waking days of this year that special forces of the Nigerian army had staged a coordinated land and air strike in Sambisa, targetted several colonies of Boko Haram camps and killing several others.
According to the military hierarchy in Abuja the special operation in Sambisa started on the 31st day of December 2013 and lasted for about five days. The military said the operation was a huge success in which several members of the terror group were killed.
However, the military has not provided visuals, be it still or video footage to corroborate their claims.
Most of the recent attacks by Boko Haram were being reported to have been carried out by Boko Haram gunmen who come from the direction of Sambisa.
Sources in the security circle confirmed to this author that, Sambissa still pose a major challenge to the soldiers. Sambisa is a vast area of short, thick foliage that spread across 51, 800 hectares of land.
A soldier that participated in one of the early operations in Sambisa last year, whose identity cannot be disclosed once said "the place is very weird. Except you are on ground, you can hardly see from the sky what is going on on, because the threes are interwoven thickly, and the terrorists used the thick foliage for shelter and hiding; that is why launching an air strike is very difficult there".
Sambisa spreads from Borno state to some part of Adamawa up to the border areas of Chad and Cameroon Republics.
It was gathered driving through the mostly uncultivated forest is usually very difficult but the Boko Haram terrorists who usually use four wheel driven vehicles stolen from private individuals and even the military cruise through following the various cattle routes that criss-cross the rough terrain.
Giving the nature and pattern of their attacks, the Boko Haram terrorists seemed to have concentrated in the areas of Sambisa.
It is hoped that the military would go beyond unsubstantiated claims and tackle this hell hole and rid it of these elements before it becomes too late.
By Abdulkareem Haruna Umar
All through 2013, the Nigeria military have laid claims to dislodging several camps of the Boko Haram terrorists in Marte, Kirenowa, Gwoza, Bama, Alagarno amongst others, Sambisa forest, which according to military sources is the biggest enclave of the terrorists, still pose a serious challenge to the soldiers.
Some relatively good news was heard in the waking days of this year that special forces of the Nigerian army had staged a coordinated land and air strike in Sambisa, targetted several colonies of Boko Haram camps and killing several others.
According to the military hierarchy in Abuja the special operation in Sambisa started on the 31st day of December 2013 and lasted for about five days. The military said the operation was a huge success in which several members of the terror group were killed.
However, the military has not provided visuals, be it still or video footage to corroborate their claims.
Most of the recent attacks by Boko Haram were being reported to have been carried out by Boko Haram gunmen who come from the direction of Sambisa.
Sources in the security circle confirmed to this author that, Sambissa still pose a major challenge to the soldiers. Sambisa is a vast area of short, thick foliage that spread across 51, 800 hectares of land.
A soldier that participated in one of the early operations in Sambisa last year, whose identity cannot be disclosed once said "the place is very weird. Except you are on ground, you can hardly see from the sky what is going on on, because the threes are interwoven thickly, and the terrorists used the thick foliage for shelter and hiding; that is why launching an air strike is very difficult there".
Sambisa spreads from Borno state to some part of Adamawa up to the border areas of Chad and Cameroon Republics.
It was gathered driving through the mostly uncultivated forest is usually very difficult but the Boko Haram terrorists who usually use four wheel driven vehicles stolen from private individuals and even the military cruise through following the various cattle routes that criss-cross the rough terrain.
Giving the nature and pattern of their attacks, the Boko Haram terrorists seemed to have concentrated in the areas of Sambisa.
It is hoped that the military would go beyond unsubstantiated claims and tackle this hell hole and rid it of these elements before it becomes too late.
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